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The Senate/New Republic
The Senate/New Republic: The Senate/New Republic Form of Government -- Federal Republic Head of State and Government -- Chief of State, President of the Senate Legislative and Executive Branch -- Galactic Senate Judicial Branch -- Court of Justice Official language --Basic Capital --Coruscant Establishment -- 5 ABY Currency --Galactic Standard Credit (Republic Dataries) Membership in the New Republic The New Republic is a voluntary confederation organized on democratic principles under a common Charter and in accord with the ideals and purposes embodied in the Declaration of a New Republic. Primary (voting) membership is available to any independent sovereign political entity representing one or more unified planetary populations, or to other recognized and definable territories. Membership follows an application process (during which the candidate member reviews the Charter and other governing statutes and agrees to abide by them) and an assessment process (during which the candidate member's annual support contribution is determined). Affiliate (non-voting) membership is available to subordinate political units (for example, the individual members of a league of worlds) and to duly recognized representatives of sentient species not constituting a political unit. Observer (non-voting) membership is available to nonmember allies of the New Republic. The Declaration of a New Republic sets forth the principles to which the New Republic is dedicated; the common Charter is the actual mechanism by which planets become members, and specifies both the rights and duties of members, and the various institutions of government and their powers. The common Charter was a creation of the transitional Provisional Council The Senate The government of the New Republic is organized around a unicameral legislative body called the Senate, replacing the Provisional Council. Primary members are represented in the Senate by a Senator. Each Senator has a single vote, regardless of the population represented. Affiliate members are represented on Coruscant by a Legate, who may speak in general sessions of the Senate, but may not vote on official Senate business (to avoid dual representation) or serve in the Senate's various working bodies. As a body with a large and potentially unlimited membership, the Senate-in-whole is an almost impossibly unwieldy structure for getting work done. Consequently, most of the real governance is performed by the Senate's councils, committees, and commissions. The daily business of the Senate proper is primarily speech-making and public debate. When the Senate meets as a committee of the whole, it is sometimes referred to as the New Republic Assembly. Councils are appointed bodies with autonomous decision-making and appropriation authority over some segment of government operations outside the Senate proper (for example, the Defense Council, which oversees the Navy). The most populous and powerful members of the New Republic are disproportionately represented on the Senate's councils. Committees are elected bodies with the authority to administer various aspects of Senate operations, including the general budget. They are semi-autonomous; in the event of a unanimous committee vote, the approval of the Senate-in-whole is not required (however, the Senate-in-whole may override a less-than-unanimous committee decision with a three-to-five majority). Commissions are voluntary bodies with an advisory capacity only. They may prepare reports on issues of concern for presentation to the President of the Senate, to the Minister of State, to the Supreme Commander, or to the general membership; schedule and conduct hearings; and contract for independent research. President of the Senate/ Chief of State The President of the Senate, elected by a sixty percent super-majority of the Senators, is Chief of State of the New Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet. The President can be recalled by a majority vote of the Senate on presentation of a petition of no-confidence by a majority of the Ruling, or Inner, Council, or by a quarter of the primary members of the Senate. The election of a President may be blocked by the Ruling Council on a unanimous vote. In practice, the power of the Ruling Council to void an election and initiate the recall of a sitting President means any candidate proposed by or approved by the Ruling Council is likely to be elected by the Senate. The Ruling Council consists of the chairmen of the Senate councils and the President of the Senate. The President may select any member of the Ruling Council to conduct the business of the Senate in her absence from that body. If the president should become incapacitated, incommunicado, or die, the chairman of the Ministry Council selects an acting Chief of State from among the following: any former President, the current Minister of State, any former Minister of State. The General Ministry The General Ministry is the non-military bureaucracy of the New Republic. It is organized into several large permanent Ministries, smaller task-oriented service Agencies, and several semi-independent Institutes. The various Senate councils have oversight and financing authority over the corresponding Ministries. The Cabinet consists of the heads of the various ministries and is headed by the Minister of State. This body is the link between the Chief of State and the Ministries. The First Administrator, appointed by the Ministry Council with the approval of the President of the Senate, heads the New Republic General Ministry. He reports to the Chief of State. The New Republic Defense Force The New Republic Defense Force is the military arm of the New Republic. It operates five full fleets, each consisting of hundreds of warships, transports, and support vessels, divided into battle groups and task forces, in addition to ground troop divisions and starfighter wings. Since the reorganization of the military into a single unified command, the former Minister of Defense is now called the Supreme Commander, and the posts of Minister of the Army and Minister of the Navy have been abolished. The Supreme Commander, appointed by the Defense Council with the approval of the President of the Senate, heads the Defense Force. He reports to the Chief of State.